The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit,…

For Answer hereunto, I do not make this Call considered without the Promise, the Ground on which Faith rests, (for that is God's free Grace in the Promise) but the Ground by which it rests, or wherefore it rests upon the Promise. The Mind sees (1.) The Freeness of Mercy to a poor Sinner in Misery; and this breeds some Hope the Lord may pity it. (2.) The Fullness and plenteous Riches of Mercy, and this gives very great Encouragement to the Soul to think: The Lord (if I come to him) surely will not deny me a Drop, Psal, 130.7, 8. The Prodigal comes home because of Bread enough in his Father's House, tho' he was not certain he should have any. (3.) The Preciousness and Sweetness of Mercy makes the Soul long vehemently for it, Psal. 36.6, 7. and makes ⟨p. 170⟩it set all other Things at a low Rate to enjoy it, but when unto all this the Lord sends a special Commandment, and a special Message on purpose, and calls it to come in, and accept of it, and take Mercy as its own, and that for no other Reason, but because it is commanded and called to accept of it; this puts an End to all Doubts, all Fears, all Discouragements, and the Soul answers as those, Jer. 3.22. Behold we come, thou art the Lord our God. As a Man in great Want of Bread, one comes and freely offers him Bread to preserve his Life, the Man takes it; if you ask him, Why do you take it? you are a poor Fellow unworthy of it, never did one Hour's Work for it: He answers, 'Tis true, I am unworthy, but yet because it is offered to me to preserve Life, I gladly take it; the Man doth not promise absolutely to me, that this Bread is mine, and shall feed me; but he tells me, If I do receive it, it shall certainly be mine to feed me; and this is the main Ground of his receiving it. Just so it is in Faith; ask an humbled Sinner, Why do you believe? Why do you take Christ as your own? Hath the Lord said absolutely that he is yours? No, saith the Soul, but the Lord freely offers himself to me, who am undone without him, and saith, if I do receive him, he shall be for ever mine, to give Life to me, and therefore I thankfully accept of him; this is the Ground of Faith. The Scripture sets out this in a lively Similitude of a great Supper, to which many were invited; what was the Ground of their coming to it? Behold, all Things are ready if you come and eat, they are not yours if you do not come;